Joint PE Father-son / Father-daughter event ?

The thought just occured to me after another beautiful ride with my daughter this morning...how about organizing an all-PE father-kid and/or an all-PE family (with spouse) ride sometime this autumn? David? Laurent? Jerome? anybody else?

Alternative way for cheating in Tour de France

Break your Cycling Bad Habbits

We’re all creatures of habit, especially when it comes to our cycling. But some habits are bad. Break them, says Matt Barbour, and you’ll become a better rider.

 Bad habit 1: Going too fast, too soon
Leading the pack from the off has an obvious draw, but if you want to cross the finish line in pole position you might need to rethink your strategy.


“If your heart rate is too high in the starting 30 minutes, your metabolic rate goes up and your body goes into sugar-burning mode,” says Andy Wadsworth, director of My Life Personal Training and an elite cycling trainer.

“You need to train your body to use the longer-lasting fat reserves rather than sugars, which will literally burn out in half the time.” Start slow and you’ll set a precedent for the whole ride, he says. if you don’t want to blow up, only up the intensity after 30 minutes of riding at a conversational pace.


So for the first 30 minutes, work at a perceived exertion rate (RPE) of no more than five out of 10 and then move up to eight or nine out of 10 for six two- to four-minute intervals, with six-minute rest intervals between each, again working at five out of 10.


At the end of that batch, do another 30 minutes of steady-state training and repeat. “If you haven’t been able to recover adequately to tackle the next interval, increase your rest phase, or decrease the length of your high-intensity interval,” says Wadsworth.


Bad habit 2: Climbing in wrong gears


Whatever gradient you’re on, you need a consistent cadence of 90-100rpm. “Ninety to 100 rpm is simply the most efficient ratio,” says John Herety, team manager of Rapha Condor Sharp.


"Any lower and you’re in too high a gear, putting too much strain on your joints; any higher and you’re in too low a gear, wasting valuable energy spinning your legs around at speed.” And while that latest NASA-worthy electronics system that you’ve got on board might help you count, go back to basics, he says.


“You need to develop a feel for how fast your legs are going round, so practise counting for 15 or 30 seconds on every single ride until you know without looking what it feels like to be in the right zone. The best Formula 1 drivers listen to their engines and know how it’s responding, which is exactly what you should be doing.”


Bad habit 3: Too much time at the front/back of groups


Learn how to draft to conserve energy – but don’t become a wheel sucker and ‘forget’ to take your turn. “Cycling off the front of an eight-man pack can reduce oxygen consumption by almost 40 percent,” says Herety.


“But spend too long at the back and you’ll earn the nickname ‘wheel sucker’ and lose friends. Spend too long at the front, though, and you’ll be exhausted.”


The key, he says, is communication and trust. “You need to agree a specific time period – say 60 seconds – for each rider to lead, or if you’re tackling a particularly tough hill you need to be able to communicate that you need to drop back sooner.”


Do this by signalling clearly with a flick of your elbow that you’re pulling out, accelerate forward briefly, so you don’t clip wheels with anyone directly behind you, then go out and allow the next rider to accelerate smoothly past you, tucking in behind.


“For real efficiency, you need to stay as close to the person in front as possible, focusing on the brake callipers rather than the wheel so there’s just inches between you,” says Herety. Which means keeping it smooth.


“One of my pet hates is people suddenly standing up on hills, slowing down, which causes countless accidents. Nobody will ever think the worse of you for asking if it’s your turn to step up or back, but they will if you make any sudden movements and cause the mother of all pile-ups.


"It’s best to avoid hitting the brakes and slightly pull out to the side of the pack to use wind resistance to slow yourself down more gradually."


Bad habit 4: Never resting


Overtraining can cause persistent soreness, suppressed immunity, injuries, moodiness and loss of motivation. “Rest isn’t the absence of training, it’s an important component of it,” says Wadsworth.


“During recovery periods, your cardiovascular and muscular systems are restored and rebuilt to a higher level – that’s where all performance gains are made.” Every training programme should have a rest day in addition to two or three easy days (shorter, less intense rides following harder efforts) each week, he says.


“If you haven’t had a strenuous week, it’s all right to cross-train – swim, take a yoga class, or treat your dog to a long walk. But if you’re coming off a high-mileage week, reward yourself with a day of total rest. Schedule a massage or breakfast with a friend so you’ll feel like the time off was well spent.”

Bad habit 5: Cycling, cycling and more cycling


Clocking up the miles will do your cycling no end of good, but ignore your overall fitness and you could ultimately suffer. "Cycling isn't an all-round form of activity,” says Matt Rabin, nutritional advisor with Team Garmin-Transitions. “It uses predominantly the lower body muscles and in a very specific, limited way.”


The upshot is that your cycling muscles will become short and tight, and non-cycling muscles will become weak, creating imbalances – little wonder that in one Californian study of over 500 randomly selected recreational cyclists, over 85 percent reported overuse injuries.


Supplement your riding with conditioning specific work. “Focusing on core stability keeps the pelvic girdle and spine in the perfect position to stop the pelvis tipping forward and prevents backache and poor form,” says Rabin.




Try toe touchdowns – lie on your back with knees bent and hands under your back. Contract your abs and press your back against your hands, then slowly lift one foot a few inches off the floor, pause and lower.


Swap feet and continue until you lose the pressure against your hands. Avoid overly-tight hamstrings by doing 12 toe curls off the edge of a step, then turn around and do 12 heel drops.


And avoid knee maltracking and strengthen your glutes with wall ball squats: place a fitness ball between your back and a wall and slowly squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.

Bad habit 6: Pre-ride faffing


Nothing is more infuriating than having to wait while other riders endlessly adjust and check their kit – and if that laggard is you, as well as losing friends you’ll lose time in the saddle. “You have to know the moment you get on your bike it’s ready to ride, so always prep it for the next ride the moment you finish your last one,” says Wadsworth.


“Any niggles will be ultra-fresh in your mind, so you’ll know exactly what needs looking at. Clean it, oil it, check the wheels are in properly, and check you’ve got your pump, spare tubes and tyre levers, so it’s literally ready to ride the moment you pick it up.


"If you had a flat on your car you wouldn’t leave it on the road unfixed until the next time you needed to go somewhere – you’d sort it straight away, which is what you should do with your bike.”


And for those riders who suffer some form of obsessive compulsive disorder and can’t stop re-checking their kit, keep a simple checklist with your spare tubes and tick off each item – including sports drinks, energy bars and wet weather clothing – after each ride.


“Actually seeing it in black and white will mean your mind can move on to other things so you can actually get out there, riding, in half the time,” he says.

Bad habit 7: Avoiding hills


Riding at full-throttle is exhilarating, but any rider knows that if they want to truly improve, they have to head for the hills. “Anyone who says they’re ‘not good’ at hills is wrong – they’re just avoiding them because they think they’re not good at them,” says Wadsworth. But he isn’t an advocate of finding the biggest hill you can and grimacing to the top.


“Incorporating smaller, relatively shallow four to eight percent gradient hills that last from 20 seconds to two minutes, keeping the power output up throughout, will have much bigger benefi ts – as you become used to increasing power for short bursts so your body and energy systems adapt.”


He reckons that if you add just two or three 30-minute hilly rides a week you’ll actually start enjoying them and start seeking them out rather than avoiding them. You’ll start focusing on power output – attacking each hill in progressively harder gears at the same cadence, rather than spinning your way up in easy gears – rather than speed, which is where improvement lies.


And just because you’ve conquered a climb, don’t take your foot off the gas. “Actually accelerating once you reach the top will set you apart from the competition when it comes to racing,” says Wadsworth.


“I see so many riders drop down the gears at the top and coast, when that’s the last thing you should be doing. Again, don’t just focus on huge climbs for this – it can be done every time you’re facing a small slope, even if you’re just commuting in town, and will make you psychologically much stronger.”

Bad habit 8: Being your own quack


Cyclists – like any half-serious athletes – are often hyperaware of their bodies, and when something’s ‘off’ they can be all too quick to self-diagnose. “We’ll ice a tight hamstring, pop ibuprofen, and grind through lingering pain,” says Joy Potts, a former international cyclist who became an osteopath and opened a clinic specialising in sports injuries.


“Minor injuries wrongly diagnosed could turn into serious issues such as muscle tears or long-term back pain.” So, when you have a nagging ache or pain, the sooner you see a doctor – preferably a sports-medicine specialist – the faster you’ll be back on track. If you’ve been sluggish on rides, schedule a check-up.


Asthma, a heart murmur, high blood pressure or anaemia can sap energy levels. Ask your doc to test your blood’s iron stores. “Serum ferritin, a protein responsible for iron storage, can become depleted,” says Potts, “and is associated with slower recovery and declining performances.”


Bad habit 9: Not fuelling properly


Don’t give your body any nasty surprises – make sure you’re used to what you’re filling up on. “Too often riders enter a sportive or race with a major nutrition sponsor and, because it’s free, try products that are unfamiliar to them,” says Rabin.


“This often leads to ‘GI irritation’, cramps and stomach upsets, which has the double whammy of making you feel pretty rotten and also stop taking in enough fluids and fuel.” He advises never trying anything in a sportive you haven’t trained on extensively. Likewise, during training you need to practise your nutritional strategy, so eat and drink on the bike, finding out what works for you.


Also, pre-ride, prepare your food for your return. There’s a 45-minute optimal window to replenish glycogen stores after a long ride, after which time your muscles won’t be able to re-stock their energy shelves, leaving you struggling over the next few days, affecting performance and energy levels.

Bad habit 10: Lack of sleep


Cyclists who short-change sleep compromise recovery, immunity and mental sharpness. “Sleep enhances the restoration of cells that are damaged from exercise,” says Professor Jim Horne from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University.


Getting enough shut-eye can also ward off ‘effort headaches’. A 1999 study found distance cyclists experienced twice the number of headaches as non-cyclists. Horne says this is most likely due to the dilation of blood vessels and sinuses that occurs during exercise.The good news: headaches occurred less frequently when the cyclists got more sleep. Some people are fine with five hours’ sleep, others require 10. “Athletes who put greater demands on their bodies tend to benefit from the higher end of that range,” says Horne.


Note how many hours you get each night in your training log. Review it and look for patterns. Once you figure out your target number, try to hit it each night, particularly in the week leading up to a ride. “Consistency and knowing what works for you is the key,” says Horne.


via Bike Radar.

One of the netter articles in form of a list of what to doa and what not. Personally, I plead guilty in seven out of ten counts. Avoiding hills is unfortunately not an option in Bremen.

Inspired

via fxyomatosis

Big Ring

via La Gazzetta Della Bici

Aka Shingo ya ....

Melbourne police upset by Worlds riders' road training habits



By: Cycling NewsPublished: September 26, 15:02, Updated: September 26, 15:24Race:UCI Road World Championships


The cycling elite has gathered in Melbourne for the world championships, and the Australians are aghast at the athletes' behaviour. “World cyclists running our red lights” read the headline in the Geelong Advertiser.

Former world champion Paolo Bettini talks to Luca Paolini (Aqua & Sapone) while stopped at lights in Geelong. 

Photo: © Cyclingnews

“Daredevil cyclists running red lights in Geelong and risking life and limb have alarmed organisers of next week's UCI cycling titles,” the newspaper reported, while the organisers “fear serious injuries to cyclists blatantly running red lights around Geelong.”

Traffic policeman Senior Sergeant Shane Coles said that those who break the law would be booked. "If they are detected they will be booked, it doesn't matter if they are the world champion, the law is the law and they've got to comply with it," Sgt. Coles said. "We're going to have a huge influx of bikes in the next week or so and for all my members on the highway patrol no one is having a day off so we are going to have a massive presence in the area."


Michael Palmer, the general manager of the organising committee, confirmed that many riders ran the red lights and violated other traffic laws while training.


"Stopping at red lights is something they don't spend a lot of time bothering about," Palmer said.


"We're working with the teams to make sure they understand they've got to abide by the road rules, but there's plenty of examples ... there goes another one.”


Palmer noted that in the time he was talking with the reporter, at least three riders had run the red light. "We'll be talking with them to make sure they stop doing that."

via cycling news

Wattage

Attention Wealthy Weight-Weenies: 6lb (sub 3kg) bike.

A $45,000, six pound carbon road bike assembled by Fairwheel Bikes

Nope, there’s no “teen” missing from that “six” in the headline. You read “six pound carbon road bike” and that’s exactly what the wizards at Fairwheel Bikes in Tucson assembled about a week ago for the Interbike trade show.

The six-pound bike.
Six pounds barely qualifies as a healthy weight for a newborn baby, let alone a complete, rideable bicycle. And you might well argue that this baby was born a little prematurely. According to a Fairwheel representative, the nearly 100-percent carbon machine was quickly assembled. He mentioned that the build was hasty and they’re planning to revise some of the spec.

To get the scoop, I talked to Rico de Wert, builder of the bike’s aluminum cranks. He said that most of the parts are available from small, boutique manufacturers, but some key pieces are fully custom and might never again be built. But de Wert himself plans to bring his crankset and a new stem he’s working on to market sometime in 2011.

The SPIN Custom frame was built by Marc Siebert. As far as we know, it’s the same one built for Günter Mai and profiled by VeloNews in March 2008. But according to de Wert, it was purchased by “some American,” and now wears a few new parts to further drop its weight. De Wert says the frame itself is completely rideable and has already logged nearly 20,000 miles under its former owner.


To view photos:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/09/interbike/interbike-2010-tech-gallery-%E2%80%93-a-45000-six-pound-carbon-road-bike-assembled-by-fairwheel-bikes_142776/attachment/ib_fairwheel10

Spec highlights include:
Customized AX Lightness brakes (we didn’t nail down if they’re the AX3000 or Orion model)
A 281-gram (with bearings) machined aluminum crankset built by Rico de Wert
Hubs by Dash Cycles of Boulder, Colorado
Custom 24mm carbon rims by AX Lightness laced with Pillar titanium spokes
AeroLite Lite Pedals, custom drilled to shave a little extra weight
NoRa CfK carbon stem, built by Oliver Grest of Germany and his Grest & Hanke GbR company
Schmolke custom TLO road bar by Stefan Schmolke
Carbon downtube shift levers by BTP
Custom one piece Tune Speedneedle saddle integrated with a Schmolke post
A heavily modified SRAM Red rear derailleur

To give you a sense of how insanely light the parts of this bike have to be in order for the machine to make weight, De Wert said the wheels alone weigh just 585 grams. That’s both wheels together.
Sure, it’s totally ridiculous. But it’s the kind of bike porn we all live for, so enjoy.
And even if you have an extra forty-five grand burning a hole in your pocket, don’t hold your breath. We’re sorry to report that it’s not for sale.

Source: Velonews

Carbon Deep Rim Clinchers?

I've been thinking about getting some new wheels this year.  Birthday coming up soon.

--The Fulcrum Racing 1 Tubeless (2 way fit) from beginning of 2009 have had enough issues so that, even though they seem fine now and ride very nicely -- light and comfortable ... I still don't trust them much.  (A little loctite on the spokes seems to keep them from loosening and the spoke nipple from falling into the rim, where it is almost impossible to dig out.)

--The Open Pro/Ultegra hub 36/32 spoke training wheels are bombproof, but heavy and not aero.

--Then there are my Reynolds DV cyclocross carbon tubulars -- my first tubulars, still serviceable after 4-5 years, not used for "everyday", and very strong with extra spokes, but the rims are not as deep as true TT wheels, the spokes are not bladed, and tubulars are inconvenient for longer, unsupported events where a flat is very possible.  They did not work out well on Transalp -- but that was mostly due to tire issues, I suspect caused by overheating of the rims on the descents.

What is the solution?  Is it time for some deep rim carbon clinchers -- James M. almost had me convinced earlier in the year?  Which wheelset?   How many cyclists have asked the very same question?

Today I was thinking about perhaps the Reynolds Strike all-carbon clinchers -- my current Reynolds have been, well, more reliable than any other wheel I've had, and these 66mm rims are the real thing -- deep rim all-carbon clinchers.  They weigh in at just over 1700 grams and are available online from the UK for approximately $1250, or around JPY105,000 (no VAT and free shipping to Japan). 

Or I could be an early adapter go for something more expensive and exotic.  How about the 1085 gram Mad Fiber tubulars (no rider weight limit)??

Or maybe just some Shimano 7850 C50mm clinchers ... about the same price as the Reynolds strike, nice Dura hubs.  But I worry about a 50mm rim with 20/16 spokes for me.  Though with a 66mm rim like the Reynolds Strike, and its shorter spokes, 20/16 seems quite reasonable.

Or I could splurge and consider some Lightweights (!) in honor of Juliane (but got to go with the tubulars, even though they do make a clincher now for even more money).

Or there are the new Zipp 404/303 models, with a much wider tire bed, lower pressures, more durability, and in general a much better design for someone large/heavy like me (according to all reports).  If they could support Cervelo Test Team on the cobbles of Paris Roubaix with 100% reliability ...

Zipp seems to be following (copying?) some things that HED has done with its C2 rim/wheel bed -- a much wider rim design that actually helps the aerodynamics and rolling characteristics of a 23mm tire.  And HED has the "stallion build" for riders over 190 lbs.  Maybe a HED Jet6 -- 60mm rim?   MSRP $1600 ... I see one place that is offering 15% off. 

I really like what I read about the Zipp and HED new designs. ...  and so must a lot of other people, since I don't see them available online in many places.   Hmmm.

I'm leaning toward the HEDs, if I can find them and get the "stallion" build.


Any suggestions?

Sky After Rain

Tokyo had rain off and on over Thursday and Friday, very heavy at times including early Saturday morning. The skies cleared today and by mid-day it was sunny and nice, not hot, really nice. The morning rain and work kept me off the bike this morning, but I took a spin out to C Speed to visit Hiroshi in the afternoon.

We had a nice talk -- he was readying a bicycle for shipment to Hokkaido -- one of his blog readers had ordered a Fuji track bike.  Hiroshi said he is getting decent business from blog readers.  (Yes, MOB, Positivo Espresso now has 30,000 views.  Hiroshi's blog has over 200,000).

A couple stopped by to browse, but the shop was otherwise quiet.  We talked about the need to break through the traditional importer/wholesaler ("tonya") structure in order to provide good imported products at competitive prices.  He showed me a Focus Izalco bike on the Wiggle site for about 360,000 yen, with Mavic Cosmic SLR Carbon wheels and Campy Super Record components, and said in Japan the wheels and Super Record gruppo alone would exceed that price.  He sees lots of products offered online overseas for much less than the price Japanese wholesalers offer to him.  He is thinking about teaming up with a small European brand that does not have a presence in Japan, to import direct -- a great idea.  MOB is suggesting that Hiroshi import and fix up old steel frames from Europe -- there are plenty of beautiful ones to be had, and they would probably be a hit in Japan as long as you could find the smaller sizes.  And he is thinking about maybe doing something in the nutrition area, though "proper" imports (as opposed to mail order by individuals) require various testing, labeling and other requirements.

At this point, with the yen stronger than any time in the past decade against the dollar and the euro, a direct import model might work very well. 

I took Rte 246 and some local roads out to Center Minami -- an unpleasant experience until I got close to the Kohoku area where the streets widen and the traffic and pedestrians thin.  On the way back, at Hiroshi's suggestion, I took Nakahara Kaido.  I used to ride this with Jerome and Juliane coming back from Yabitsu in 2005, and was pleased to see that in parts it has been widened and now has a nice shoulder.  The last 5-6 km to Marukobashi is still slow going, with narrow lanes, standing traffic and cyclists and pedestrians.  Today, I was rewarded with a very nice sky, beautifully clear after the rains, as I crossed the Tamagawa and headed for home.  Pick your favorite photo.

SOS Landscape and 30.000 hits

It has been a while since I blogged about cycling tours I have done around Bremen recently, but I thought that this would be appropriate to do on the occasion that we have reached 30,000 hits on the Positivo Espresso site.

I had planned to visit a congress in Hamburg which I did on Wednesday to find out the city is more advanced than Bremen as Japanese speciality stores are opening there at breath-taking speeds.

Hamburg is about 100 km away from Bremen and can be reached by regional trains within one and a half hour. If everything goes smoothly but I never does if you are travelling with Deutsche Bahn. This time if felt more like taking the train from Lumumba to Maputo as everything stopped somewhere in the absolute nothing and after waiting for an hour the passengers were forced to evacuate and walk along the rails for the next exit.

On the positive side, this gave me the perfect opportunity to escape work and spend the rest of the day on the bike. There were blue skies over Bremen which used to be common in June and July but a rare occurrence in recent weeks. There are red skies over paradise, blue skies over the Southern states and even liquid skies over New York.

But over Bremen the skies are generally grey, patched with dark grey clouds.

So yesterday could have been the last beautiful autumn day in Bremen. Yes, it is autumn already as we are some degrees closer to the North Pole and temperatures have dropped into single digit ranges during the night. Farmers are pulling pumpkins from the fields and displaying them on wheelbarrows in front of their houses and the general atmosphere is one of winter coming closer.

So I jumped on my bike and took off riding through the high-tec park close to the university, stimulated by hundred of academic brains working hard in the buildings lining up the street. A right turn brought me to the restaurant Platzhirsch, where the first climbing challenge of the day awaited me that usually brings my pulse into the 170 - 180 range: A short and brutal climb leading up to the bridge crossing the federal highway. Approximated 10 meter elevation gain. Normally I try to accelerate up to 40 km/hr on the ascent and keep the speed until the highest point so I can cruise down in the same speed range. Yesterday I felt like  Mosquera riding up the Bola del Mundo with Nibali on his heels.

The road then leads along the river Wümme and is a very pleasant ride for about 20 minutes. Not too much traffic, a wide asphalt road and many roller skaters riding along this very curvy and technically sophisticated road. Great. But very short. And 100% flat. And done already a hundred times, so this is like riding along the Tamagawa between Noborito and Sekidobashi. One knows every pothole, every speed bump and every turn already by heart.

So I took the road further on to Lesum and Vegesack, the Northern quarters of the fee and hanseatic city of Bremen. Finally some hills, not too high but at least one goes out of the saddle and the addition of cobblestones is nice as well.

Ritterhude, Osterholz-Scharmbeck, the further to Worpswede. Now I was in the middle of the lower-saxony landscape. Below is a photo taken of the landscape just out of Osterholz-Scharmbeck and then we see one of the landscape shortly before Worpswede.

Did you notice the difference? No? Well there is almost none, so it's hard to compete against all the beautiful photos of mountains and roads in Gunma and Nagano pasted on this site. Riding on a bike one gets easily bored therefore. Out of boredom comes anger, frustration and despair. So the government has installed a series of "SOS-Landscape" communication modules at extremely boring spots where one can dismount from the bike, pick up the receiver and start complaining about the dull environment.  Calls are picked up by the SOS landscape call center in Chennai, where a group of German-speaking Indians listen sympathetically to the flood of complains, never complaining themselves even if abused heavily and urging the hapless riders to re-mount and do some more miles...

Which I did. The good thing about riding in this stimulus-lacking, flat landscape is, that one is fast. I can easily do averages of 30 km/hr over distances of up to 100 km/hr whereas I was in the 18 - 25 km/hr range when riding even over smaller bumps in Western Tokyo. Not even riding behind David at the start of a trip along the Tamagawa I was able to go that fast. But here, there is only a wide road, nothing to look at except the speedmeter and so one goes fast. Yesterday I was averaging about 32 km/hr.

Quelkhorn, Fischerhude, Borgfeld, here is where what remains of the German emperors family is living in Germany, so the newspaper said. I was now back in the federal state of Bremen and after a few more turns I was back at the university, shortly before the 100 km mark. Not so much distance but a nice quickie, considering that the whole ride took about three and a half hour and fitted in nicely in the afternoon before attending a congress later in the evening.

Honestly, 100km is nothing to blog and boast about given the standard of the Positivo Espresso team, but this is reality in Bremen now. Today I look out of the window and it is raining again. Perfect weather to commute with my new Gazelle, but not for any longer rides. Rain is also forecasted for the weekend. I guess I need to travel more with Deutsche Bahn to get riding opportunities.

Why I need a second bike

With Christmas 'only' three months away my children have started drawing up lists to tell Santa Claus what they would like to receive. The lists are now stuck all around the apartment, including at eye level for both positions a gentleman assumes in the lavatory. So I thought perhaps I should send a letter to Santa explaining that I 'need' another bike and, as he is likely to be convinced by my reasoning, perhaps he could see to it that it is a Pinarello Dogma frame size 56.

So why do I need a second bike? This weekend the family and I headed up to our place in Tateshina in Nagano Prefecture. I had been there last weekend as well, driving around to map out future rides. Now was the time to try out some of these rides. Once the luggage, bike, wife and dog were in the car there would be no room for the children. Even leaving the wife behind would not have freed up enough space for both children so we had to take 2 cars. No question of leaving Humphrey (the dog) behind as he loves the long walks and swimming up there. So I reason, I need a bike to leave up there so that we do not have to exaggerate the family carbon footprint. By the way, there is something very satisfying about getting off the Chuo Expressway at 12:05am on a Saturday morning and seeing the toll is only Y1,000.

On Saturday, I left the house down a treacherous hill to join the Venus Line at Tateshinako. From here I rode up a few kms and then branched off on a road linking to the Marchen Kaido (Rte 299). The ride was an extremely pleasant 20km climb up to Mugikusa-Toge (2127m).

This is a very nice climb with only light traffic. The gradient varies between 6-8% and then becomes easier nearer the top. All the motorbikes were those of sensible middle-aged men out for a ride, rather than lunatics on hotted-up racing bikes (I would meet these the following day on the Venus Line). At the top I pulled up along side a Harley Davidson whose owner was photographing the sign to signal the top of the pass. He seemed non-plussed by a lycra-clad gaijin (why should he be?) but when I identified his bike as a Fat-Boy he was impressed and decided that despite my attire I was worth a quick chat. He explained that the newer model Harleys are much quieter and thus less interesting to him. When I then explained that I have a 1978 Ducati 900ss he became wildly excited as these bikes are well known for a great sound. We parted as buddies: he made his way back to Nagoya while I did a U-turn home to get home for lunch as promised. For some reason, on the way up the long climb I started to dream of a curry. Great descent but for the last 1-2km climb back up that treacherous hill to the house. As I pulled up to the house I was met by my fan club. Later I had that curry.


The following day (Sunday), I took the soft option and drove the 17km along the Venus Line to Shirakabako and parked. I then rode up Rte 152 and on to Rte 155. Instead of climbing up Rte 67, a steep climb up to the Venus Line, I chose a new route (Rte 142) which took me up "The Other Wada Toge". This is a beautiful climb. About 550m elevation gain at a steady 6-7% gradient. I stopped counting the curves but a sign near the top was for Curve No. 70 - I think I started around Curb No. 20). Some beautiful views and a nice old open fronted thatched building for what purpose I do not know other than to offer shelter to cyclists and hikers.
This is no witch house!
From here I rejoined the Venus Line, turned left and rode to Kirigamine Highlands and on down to Shirakabako again. Being a holiday weekend the Venus Line was busy up here. Young bikers riding like lunatics and overtaking across yellow lines and various car clubs (a convoy of Mazda Miatas etc) took away some of the pleasure but the views were breathtaking.
When in a car one doesn't always notice the gradient but in arts where I thought I would be riding along on a flat road I was in fact riding up a 6% slope and into a headwind. Had I had the time I would have turned right instead and gone on to Utsukushigahara Kogen. I drove this road last weekend. There is an 8km Alp d'Huez style series of steep switch-backs which look to be an interesting challenge.
These rides were for discovery purposes. Next time I will ride from the house to in a loop taking in Alp d'Huez v2.0 to Utsukushigahara Kogen and back along the Venus Line. About 110km with 3,000mm of climbing.

As I write this I strikes me that I have 2 motorbikes, neither of which I ride now, but only one road bicycle. Will Santa rectify the situation I wonder.

Tokyo - Karuizawa

Jerome and I enjoyed a beautiful day and, as planned, made it to Karuizawa (183 km or more distance and 2748 meters of total elevation gain) in time to hop the train home for dinner.

As usual, we started out fast and averaged just under 30 kph to Oume.  After a quick stop (too early for Aurore) we continued on to the Holy Fountain and then over Yamabushi.

Through Chichibu City, some prefer to swing SW on Rte 140, heading out to town as if their goal was Mitsumine Shrine ... before cutting over to Rte 299 via Rte 37 ... or going way high and way West via Rte 201.   Others prefer turning right and just slogging along Rte 299 through its congestion and following as it dips way down to cross the river and climbs the other bank, typical sprawl until clearing Ogano, when it becomes a very nice road.  Today Jerome and I tried a middle path -- going straight, which took us to a big suspension bridge (which had a nice view back to Chichibu) and into the the Chichibu City "Muse" park. 

The park is on top of a ridge that provided an extra little climb, very pleasant road, and we ordered a quick plate of curry and rested some at the "stained glass" cafeteria before heading on our way, a fast descent down the back side of the ridge and then joining Rte 299 having skipped the worst of it.

What had been a very fast trip to Chichibu and the park slowed to a long slog, as we both started to show our fatigue.  I showed it more.  Jerome usually pulled way ahead, then waited for me.  The stops and rests grew closer together.

Jerome waited for me, resting, at Shigasaka Pass tunnel entrance.

I rested on the way up, taking a photo looking back along Rte 299 -- where we had been.

The mountains of the Gunma border -- impressive as always.

I thought Jerome was just being kind, waiting at regular intervals and being a good sport about it, except I realized he actually needed the rest when I caught up to him waiting at the side of the road at a nice stop at Uenomura (gifts, crafts, very nice new building with river and bamboo down the hill in back and a much better place to rest that the typical convenience store, if without much of the food -- I think called the Uenomura "fureai-kan" or something similar). 

He motioned me to the side of the road and told me we needed to stop at the rest area.  I was looking unhealthily pale and covered in sweat much of the day -- my muscles okay but my body generally and circulatory system tested by the fatigue.  Here in Uenomura (just at the beginning of the climb to Jukkoku Toge and before the turn off from 299 in Gunma onto Rte 45, toward Shimo Nita ("the city that Konnyaku built") as we rested and recovered yet again, we pondered the time -- somehow the hours had passed by on Rte 299 west of Chichibu City, our fast start squandered.  We still had over 50 km left to Karuizawa, and some big hills, first Shio-no-zawa Pass (not Shiozawa Pass -- the next road East), then the long climb from Shimo Nita (Elev.  260 meters) to Wabi (和美) Pass (Elev 970 meters) and into Karuizawa, with some very steep short bits (13-14% or more).  We decided we would see how we were doing at Shimo Nita and make a decision then.

An unnecessary conversation as it turns out.  We climbed from the Uenomura rest area (Elev. approx 590) over maybe 5 kilometers up to 740 meters elev, then found the mouth of the tunnel that bypasses Shio-no-zawa pass.  Inside the tunnel, we continued a gradual climb for about 20 seconds, ... then the road pointed downward at what seemed like a decent 2-3-4% grade.  We went very fast the next 3 km inside the tunnel, and the descent on a wide, well designed road, just beyond it, at probably our fastest speed with least work all day.  At Shimo Nita we turned for Karuizawa without hesitation.

More mountains of Gunma

The climb to Karuizawa was painful because of some very steep parts, reasonably heavy traffic for a true country back road, and one section where you go under the expressway ... soaring what seemed like very far above us, cars zooming by on two bridges that appear from a tunnel on one side of the valley, and disappear into another tunnel.  At one point I needed to rest, and the most comfortable (least uncomfortable) place was the slightly inclined plane of the retaining wall next to the road.

But we made it to the top in one piece, then a victory ride down the hill and into Karuizawa ... cut short by a huge traffic jam about 3-4 kilometers south of the station ... everyone in Japan (well, every one who drives a late model German car or Japanese copy) was heading back from golf or out for a meal in central Karuizawa, or trying to get to the one underpass where they can go from the South to the North side of the shinkansen tracks.  We slipped through the traffic watching for car doors, but it was surreal -- cars just sitting, red tail lights as far as the eye could see.  I hope they enjoyed the weekend!


70 minutes back to Tokyo station, by shinkansen.  Another successful P.E. tour, in the books.

New Audi Commercial Mostly Shows Mountain Bikes

Sean Kelly's priorities

"The bike, then the car, and then the wife. In that order." - Sean Kelly

And before anyway gets too PC you don't want to mess with Mr. Kelly. He is one of the hardest men around. Probably eats nails.

The photo below comes from the marvelous Big Ring Riding blog-site.

Life Cycles Trailer

www.lifecyclesfilm.com/ Beautifully shot.

Tsuru Tsuru Loop

Another weekend, another Saturday ride ... this time with a plan (achieved!) to return by the Noon hour.  Aurore bakery in Oume was closed, so we took that as an omen not to go into Nariki and approach the Holy Fountain or Yamabushi Pass.

Instead, we went via Ikusa-bata (Battleground), over the forest road climb to Umenoki Pass (approx 650M elevation) and Tsuru Tsuru onsen.  We took a slight detour to swing by Stephen and Ryoko Coady's place near the bridge at Ikusa-bata.  Ryoko's familiar bright red VW was parked outside and there were signs that the house is in active use (but it was early Sunday morning and no signs of activity stirring inside, so we moved on after a few minutes rest in the shade on their porch.)  Is Stephen still in Switzerland?  Back in Japan?  I've lost his cell number when my last phone died and was replaced, the data unrecoverable by normal measures.

At the top of Umenoki Pass, another in my series of photos of Jerome resting on concrete road surfaces:

My Cervelo ... still with the bulbous saddle bag from last weekend's Brevet:

The onsen is 2.8 km from the top of the climb.  The lower stretch of this descent on the S. side of the ill, after passing the Onsen, was one of the most delightful roads I can remember within the Tokyo prefectural limits, a classic 2-4% grade along a river/stream with very little traffic and lots of green.  It must be spectacular in April/May.  The climb up the North side had nice variety, mostly shaded, some very steep stretches but none that lasted for long, almost entirely in the shade, and on a closed forest road with no traffic yet a decent road surface (for climbing, anyway).  I've known about this for several years, but never managed to try it until now. (The entrance is not obvious from Yoshino Kaido on the N. side -- you would miss it if you did not know where you are going or have a good map.

This may help for anyone who wants to try it and does not know where the entrance is:

A Brevet Too Hot

Jerome met me on Saturday the 4th at 6AM as planned and we drove out the Tomei Expressway and then through early morning traffic jams of trucks on Rte 16 to Sagamihara, finding the  god-forsaken, hot stretch of gravel along a riverbed where we could park for the Brevet.

Jerome was on his smart looking new Look 565 -- replacement for the stolen 2004 Look 585. As an "unofficial" entrant, Jerome made a good showing -- with reflective vest, lights, etc.

We suffered through the first leg to Itsukaichi, made a short stop, then suffered through the heat on the way up the lower Akigawa.  Jerome took a break for a plunge in the river before the climb to Kobu tunnel, while I pressed ahead slowly and waited for him at the tunnel exit.  After a quick trip to Uenohara, we took an unscheduled convenience store stop in a desperate attempt to cool down.  To no avail.  I made my slowest ever ride up Rte 20 to Otsuki and was fortunate to have Jerome go ahead and scout out a route through several farmers' fields and down to the Katsura-gawa, where we could get into a river pool by climbing down a rope.  Temporary relief.

After only 10 minutes on the bike again, I felt just as hot as before.  We stopped at another convenience store past Tsuru, ... no shade and heavy traffic on the climb up Rte 139 to FujiYoshida.  Time passed and we saw fewer and fewer Brevet riders, as we slipped to the back of the pack.  Jerome waited for me several times and we finally limped into the Kawaguchiko rest stop at 3:05PM, just ahead of the 3:15 cutoff.  At least it was cooler there at 900 meters elevation and with a few clouds.

After a long rest (almost an hour), we pressed on in the cooler climate, partially recovered and rehydrated.  We persuaded one Japanese rider, Hiroyuki, not to "retire" and to continue with us.  Once we climbed up to Saiko, and rejoined the main road, we made good time to Motosu-ko, which was beautiful, with a breeze for the windsurfers on the far side, and some haze and clouds mixed with blue sky.

We then had a nice, fast, long descent down to the Fujikawa at the base of the western side of Mt. Fuji.  .... where it was again HOT and HUMID, even as the sun set.

We slogged on with Jerome pulling me and Hiroyuki much of the next 50 km, into a light headwind in the dark.  At Fujinomiya, I said my farewells and boarded the train home.  The combination of heat, serious sleep deficit and lack of training over the past 4 months, having defeated me.  Lacking a "rinko bukuro" ("bike bag"), I used my windbreaker as a "modesty cover" for my bicycle on the train, at least to shelter passengers from any chain grease -- which seemed enough to keep the train staff from complaining on a quiet Saturday night.  I recovered enough on the train to ride home the 15km from Shin-Yokohama, and at last got a decent sleep at night.

Jerome made the long climb up to Fuji Skyline at night (spectacular, as I had expected and hoped to enjoy ...), saying goodbye to Hiroyuki and another Japanese rider after waiting repeatedly for them on the lower stretches.   He enjoyed the descent into Gotemba and then slogged back down Rte 246 to Sagamihara, getting there at 4:30AM, 30 minutes after the cutoff, but when there were still 5-6 other cars awaiting returnees.

Even if, for the first time in 6 attempts, I failed to complete a Brevet, at least I managed a ride of more than 125 km for the first time since my mid-May injury, and thanks to my riding partner I went far enough into the event so I don't need to completely write off the idea of the two longer Brevets in October.